What is appointment setting?
Appointment setting is finding the buyers who fit your brief, writing to them, and putting a first meeting in your seller's diary. Providers differ most in what they bill you for: of 53 outbound services we mapped, 17 bill a monthly retainer and 12 bill on a meeting that was actually held.
53 services · 8 Oct 2026
How it works
It starts with a brief: who you want in the room, and who you do not. Each candidate is read against that brief, and only those inside it are admitted.
Then the outreach: with Shannon, she writes the opening and a researcher sends it from a real account. When a buyer replies, she drafts the answer and schedules the meeting into your seller's diary. The meeting arrives found, scheduled and prepped, and she stays with your seller on the call.
Teams hand this work out because selling time is scarce: reps spend 28% of their time selling. The outreach has to be relevant, because 73% of B2B buyers avoid suppliers who send irrelevant outreach.
Before you choose a provider, ask what they bill on: of the services we mapped, 36 of 53 bill on something other than a call that took place. With Shannon you pay £200 for each completed call, and a wrong-fit call is not billed.
Salesforce · 7,775 reps · 2022 Gartner · 632 buyers · 2025 53 services · 8 Oct 2026 Prices exclude VAT
The facts
- We mapped 53 outbound services.
- The market map was measured on 8 October 2026.
- 17 of 53 bill on a monthly retainer.
- 12 of 53 bill on a meeting held or attended.
- Billing is £200 per completed call on Founder and Pipeline.
- A wrong-fit call costs £0, because it is not billable.
53 services · 8 Oct 2026 Prices exclude VAT